Govt clears pay hike for professors at IITs, IIMs

Yielding to the year-long demand of IIT faculty members, the Centre has decided to offer experienced and senior faculty members a Higher Administrative Grade (HAG) Pay of Rs 67,000-Rs 79,000 — the highest government pay scale accorded at the Additional Secretary level since the Sixth Pay Commission came into effect.





The move is good news particularly for professors.

In its earlier order, dated August 18, 2009, the HRD Ministry had said that those appointed as professors must have a PhD with first class or equivalent with a very good academic record and a minimum of 10 years of experience with an academic grade pay of Rs 10,500 per month.

Forty per cent of these every year, the ministry order had said, would be eligible to move to Academic Grade Pay (AGP) of Rs 12,000 per month after six years of regular service in AGP of Rs 10500 per month subject to performance evaluation based on research publications, PhD supervision, teaching and consultancy services, etc.



Now, in a new order dated September 15, 2010, the Ministry has said that instead of movement up to AGP of Rs 12,000 per month, 40 per cent of the professors would move to HAG.

"It has now been decided in consultation with the Department of Expenditure to extend the HAG scale of Rs 67,000-Rs 79,000 without any Grade Pay in place of AGP of Rs 12,000 per month. The AGP of Rs 12,000 per month does not exist anymore," the HRD notification states.



The IIT teachers, during their agitation last year, had sought a HAG pay or higher for senior faculty. "We are glad this has been notified. This was one of our key demands, which has been much delayed by the Ministry," Prof M Thenmozhi, president, All India IIT faculty Federation, said.



Recently, members of the IIT faculty federation had also met HRD Minister Kapil Sibal, demanding HAG and its implementation from 2006 with retrospective effect.

They also wanted it to be extended to larger sections of faculty and not only to 40 per cent of the professors.



The new pay-scale will apply to professors at IITs, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore, Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), Mumbai and Indian Institutes of Science Education & Research (IISERs).

Source: Indian Express